Predators sign goalie Hutton to two-year contract

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Predators sign goalie Hutton to two-year contractThe Nashville Predators on Monday signed goaltender Carter Hutton to a new two-year contract.

Goaltender Carter Hutton signed a two-year, $1.45 million contract with the Nashville Predators on Monday, general manager David Poile announced. Hutton will make $700,000 in 2014-15 and $750,000 in 2015-16. He could have become an unrestricted free agent after the season.

In 2013-14, Hutton's first full NHL season, he finished as the sixth 20-game winner in Predators history, going 20-11-4 with a 2.62 goals-against average, a .910 save percentage and one shutout. The Thunder Bay, Ontario, native went 13-4-2 in his final 20 games, which included a personal five-game winning streak to end the season; he had a 1.77 GAA, .940 save percentage and one shutout in that stretch. Hutton also was 6-0-1 when facing at least 35 shots.

Undrafted, Hutton spent time with Adirondack, Worcester and Rockford of the American Hockey League and Toledo of the ECHL from 2010-13 before making his NHL debut April 27, 2013, with the Chicago Blackhawks. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound goalie played four seasons at UMass-Lowell (2006-10) and ended his collegiate career as the school's all-time leader in goals-against average (2.33), save percentage (.913) and shutouts (10).

He's only 17 but he can see the ice so well and he moves the puck and goes to the open ice all the time, so I just think he's a player that is ready to play in the NHL. I'm really looking forward to coaching someone like this.

— U.S. National Junior Team coach Ron Wilson on Auston Matthews, the projected No. 1 pick of the 2016 NHL Draft